Table Of ContentFM 21-75
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY FIELD MANUAL
COMBAT TRAINING
OF THE
INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER
AND PATROLLING
HEADQUARTERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
SANDARY 1962
*FM 21-75
Frei MANvAL HEADQUARTERS,
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
No. 21-75 WASHINGTON 28, D.C., 19 January 1962
COMBAT TRAINING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER
Part Onn.
Citapren 1.
2.
Section I.
ita
ML
Ww.
v.
CuarteR 3.
Section I.
iL
ita
Cuarten 4.
Section I.
its
mi.
Iv.
v
Cuapter 6.
Section I.
te
Section I.
IL.
* This manvall supersedes FM 21-75,
AND PATROLLING
Parearaphe
COMBAT TRAINING OF THE
INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER
GENERAL rs
COMBAT TRAINING
General. .... 4,6
Day and night combat. ea
Day coinbat. 22,28
Night combat. 24-29
Night visio 30-36
INDIVIDUAL PROTECTION
Active measures 37,38
Passive measures. 30-42
Health and hygiene in combat 43-50
COMBAT INTELLIGENCE AND
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE
General. 51,62
Information. 53-55
Production of combat intelligence.. 56
Counterintelligence.. 57
Prisoners of war, documents, and material 58-61
MESSAGES AND MESSENGERS
62, 63
om
SURVIVAL ON THE NUCLEAR 72-B1
BATTLEFIELD.
SURVIVAL, EVASION, AND ESCAPE... 82-89
THE SNIPER AND INFRARED
EQUIPMENT
The sniper... 90-97
Infrared equipment. 98-108
‘TAGO 100568—Jan.
June 1957, including C 1, 26 Morch 1959.
Pawe
98
102
104
Paragraphs Vane
Cuaprer 9. ANTIGUERRILLA OPERATIONS.......- 106-109 112
Part Two. PATROLLING
Cuapter 10. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
Section I. General ____--
- 110-114 117
Il, Long-range patrols
1150118
Ul. Antiguerrilla operations -- NG 18
Cuarten HM. PATROLLING RESPONSIBILITIES 17-119 120
AND THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENT.
12, PATROL ORGANIZATION
Section I. General - 120,121 125,
11, General organization... 122,128 126
TIL, Special organization. 124-126 126
Cuapter 13, PLANNING AND PREPARING THE
PATROL
Section 1. General. 127 18L
IL. Planning steps. 128-187 181
Cuaprer 14, CONDUCT OF PATROLS... 138-181 142
15, RECONNAISSANCE PATROLS... 152-168 168
18 COMBAT PATROLS
Section I. ‘General 169-163 166
IL. Raid patrols. - 164-166 167
IIL. Security patrols. 167-170 170
IV. Contact patrol 171-178 171
V. Economy of force patrols 174,175 172
‘VL. Ambush patrols. 176-188 173,
Cnarrer 17. MOTORIZED PATROLS. _— 14-192 182
18, AIRMOBILE AND WATERBORNE 199-198 189
PATROLS.
19. EMPLOYMENT OF SCOUT DoGSs
WITH PATROLS
Section I, Gener 196-199 192
IL, Using scout dogs with patrols. 200-205 193
Aprenpix I. REFERENCES-. 197
I. EXERCISES FOR. TRAINING IN 199
NIGHT VISION.
ML PATROL TIPS... 205
2
2 AGO 109880
PART ONE
COMBAT TRAINING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER
CHAPTER 1
GENERAL
1. Purpose and Scope
a. This part of the manual is your guide in the battlefield tech-
niques of the individual Soldier. It explains how to perform your
duties as a Soldier on the battlefield. It shows you how to protect
yourself, how to preserve your strength and health, and how to
see better at night, It teaches the techniques employed by the
individual Soldier to defeat the enemy. Combat intelligence is
explained because you are a very important agency for obtaining
information about the enemy. Messages and message writing are
explained and illustrated because you may have to prepare or
copy # message or act as a messenger at any time. Battle indoc-
trination and battlefield survival are explained to better prepare
you for combat.
b. Material presented herein is applicable to both nuclear and
nonnuclear warfare.
c. Users of this manual are encouraged to submit recommended
changes or comments to improve the manual. Comments should
be keyed to the specific page, paragraph, and line of the text in
which change is recommended. Reasons should be provided for
euch comment to insure understanding and complete evaluation.
Comments should be forwarded direct to the United States Army
Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga.
2. Your Job as a Soldier
a. Asan indivdual Soldier, you make significant contributions
to Army activities. You are important as an individual. Our
Army is made up of individuals, just like you, working together
as a team. The American people invest time, money, and effort
in you, As an American Soldier, you are a potential leader und
your development is one of the Army’s most vilal missions.
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b, The ultimate goal of the Army is success in battle. Your
job is to help achieve this success. Regardless of your branch
of service or job assignment, you may be called upon to fight. You
may have to fight atone, but most of the time you will work with
other Soldiers under a unit or team leader. You can prepare
yourself by acquiring the knowledge and skills needed by the
modern Soldier. Success in battle depends on teamwork of con-
fident, well-trained Soldiers, Within each unit and within the
Army as a whole, men are trained to operate as a team. By doing
your job well, you help your team to win. By winning, you and
the members of your team are protected and you help assure the
success of the larger units.
3. Your Training as a Soldier
a, You must learn to operate effectively over all types of terrain,
in all kinds of weather, by day, and by night. Your miasion will
often require you to move close to, within, or behind the enemy’s
area. To do this, you must be highly skilled in moving quietly
and taking advantage of cover and concealment. You must know
how to use a map and compass, You must know how to use your
eyes so you will see what is around you, in both daylight and
darkness. You must know how to report what you see promptly
and accurately, You must develop patience, alertness, and deter-
mination.
b, Your training teaches you these things and makes you
superior to the enemy. Experienced officers and noncommissioned
officers explain and demonstrate what you must know; you are
then required to perform until you are thoroughly skilled. You
must work hard, learn well, and remember your training. The
existence of our country depends on you!
4 AGO 100668
CHAPTER 2
COMBAT TRAINING
Section 1. GENERAL
4, Purpose
‘The purpose of combat training is to mold you into a tough, self-
reliant, fighting man, capable of performing effectively as a mem-
ber of your team; to help you build and maintain the aggressive
spirit—the will to close with and kill or capture the enemy,
5, Phases of Combat Training
a. Combat is a continuous process—contact with the enemy
must be constantly maintained. You must be able to fight by day
or by night, Therefore, your training is in two general phases:
training for day combat and training for night combat.
b, Some of your training prepares you to fight by day; some
ia especially applicable to night fighting; but most of your train-
ing applies equally to day or night combat.
¢. You must consider visibility in deciding whether to apply
day or night principles and techniques.
(1) For example:
(a) A bright moon or artificial iumination may provide
better observation than a dark, overcast day.
(b) Heavy fog, rain, smoke, or dust may greatly reduce
visibility, day or night.
(c) The period before sunrise is usually too dark for
strictly day techniques, and the period before sunset
is usually too light for strictly night techniques.
(2) Under such conditions, it may be necessary to vary your
techniques, or to combine day and night principles and
techniques.
Section Il. DAY AND NIGHT COMBAT
6. Cover and Concealment
a. Cover is protection from the fire of enemy weapons. It may
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Figure 1. Natural protection from flat trajectory fire.
be natural or artificial. Natural cover (ravines, hollows, reverse
slopes) and artificial cover (foxholes, trenches, walls) protect
you from flat trajectory fires and partially protect you from high-
angle fires and the effects of nuclear explosions (fig. 1).
b, Concealment is protection from enemy observation. It too,
may be natural or artificial.
(1) Natural concealment is provided by your surroundings
and needs no change to be used; for example, bushes,
grass, and shadows.
(2) Artificial concealment is made from materials such as
burlap or nets, or from natural materials such as bushes,
leaves, and grass which are moved from their orignal
location.
7. Concealing Yourself
a. Avoid Unnecessary Movement. Remain’ still—movement
attracts attention. You may be concealed when still, yet easily
detected if you move. Remember that movement against a sta-
tionary background causes. you to stand out very clearly. When
6 AGO 100568
Figure 2. Blend with your background,
you must change positions, move carefully over a concealed route
to the new position.
b. Use All Available Concealment.
(4) Background is important; blend with it to prevent
enemy detection of your position. T'rees, bushes, grass,
earth, and manmade structures forming your background
vary in color and appearance, making it possible for you
to blend with them. Select trees or bushes which blend
with your uniform and absorb the outline of your figure.
(2) Shadows help hide you. The soldier in the open in figure
3 stands out clearly, but the two soldiers in the shadows
are difficult to see. Shadows ure found under most con-
ditions of day and night.
¢, Stay Low to Observe. Observe from a crouch, a squat, or the
prone position. You present a low silhouette, making it difficult
for the enemy to see you.
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d. Expose Nothing That Shines, Reflection of light on a shiny
surface instantly attracts attention and can be seen for great
distances.
e. Keep Off the Skyline. Figures on the skyline can be seen
from a great distance, even at night, because a dark outline
stands out against the lighter sky. The silhouette formed by your
body makes a good target.
f. Alter Familiar Outlines. Military equipment and the human
body are familiar outlines to all Soldiers. Alter or disguise these
revealing shapes.
9. Keep Quiet, Noise, such as talking, can be picked up by
enemy patrols or listening posts.
8. Temporary Battlefield Positions
Select temporary firing or observation positions which take
advantage of available cover and concealment, Figure 6 illus-
trates some temporary battlefield positions. Study these pictures,
‘They emphasize that you should:
Figure $, Shadows help hide you.
8 AGO 100568
Figure 4. Correct and incorrect battlefield positions,
a, Observe and fire around the side of an object. ‘This conceals
most of your head and body.
b, Stay low to observe and fire whenever possible. You are a
smaller target, you can aim better, and you take advantage of
concealing vegetation,
¢, Select a good background before observing over the top of an
object. Avoid observing aver the top of a ditch unless the sides
are overgrown,
9. Camouflage
a. Camouflage consists of the measures you take to conceal
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